Water Systems - Grassy Narrows

Is water a human right? Can a company own all the water in a country? Even the rain that falls from the sky? Who is responsible for maintaining clean, fresh water on planet Earth?

These are some of the questions we want to investigate in our Science unit on water systems.

We started by investigating the issue of contaminated water in Grassy Narrows Ontario. Here is a brief description from cbc.ca:

"During the 1960s and early '70s, the chemical plant at the Reed Paper mill in Dryden, Ont., which is upstream of Grassy Narrows, dumped 9,000 kilograms of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River. The fish in the river were full of poison, and the people from Grassy Narrows, who relied on the fish as a staple in their diet, were full of it, too. Once ingested, mercury never goes away. It "bioaccumulates," meaning it passes from one generation to the next, from mother to child, through the placenta. There are a range of physical and mental health impacts related to mercury poisoning, including tremors, headaches, neuromuscular effects, memory loss, and others."

Over the course of the next several weeks, we will be Investigating:

• The impact of human activities and technologies on water resources

• The factors that affect global and local water quality

• The processes and characteristics of Earth's water systems

Attentive Listening

There is a quote that I really like about listening:

"What is the biggest communication problem with humans? We listen half, understand a quarter and tell double".

When I shared this quote with students, they emphatically agreed. They also agreed that being a good listener is not only an important success strategy for school, but that it would help them in relationships and eventually in their jobs as well.

We learned that attentive listening occurs when you are able to accurately re-state what has been said, you can explain what was said in other words and you can connect what was said to what you already know. We also reminded ourselves that the role of a listener is not to understand, not just to hear.

We learned 5 strategies we can use in all circumstances to be better attentive listeners:

1. Pay Attention

• Look at the speaker directly

• Put aside distracting thoughts

• Don't think about your response

• Avoid being distracted "Listen" to the speaker's body language

2. Show That You're Listening

• Nod occasionally, thumbs up

• Make sure that your posture is open and interested

• Encourage the speaker to continue by saying "okay", or "uh huh."

3. Provide Feedback

• Reflect on what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is... ," and "Sounds like you are saying... ," are great ways to reflect back

• Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you say... ." "Is this what you mean?"

• Summarize the speaker's comments periodically

4. Don't Interrupt or Judge

• Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions

• Don't interrupt

• Don't judge

5. Respond Appropriately

• Active listening is designed to encourage respect and understanding NOT to attack or put down

• Respond honestly

• Share your opinions respectfully

• Treat the other person in a way that you think they would want to be treated

Attentive listening is an important focus for us right now and we will be practising and reflecting on our progress every day.